Drowning On Dry Land
by xJanzx
Summary: After Max ruined discussions with Tanya and Jack about access to his kids by inviting Ronnie along to the lunch, Ronnie warns Tanya about Jack's devious and secretive nature which culminates in Jack confronting Ronnie about what was said.


**Drowning On Dry Land**

Jack stormed through the Square, walking so fast the bottom of his suit jacket almost took flight. His last conversation went round and round in his mind, whizzing it into a frenzy and with each repetition of their words, Jack's anger built, incessantly increasing until he felt his fingers curl into a fist. His hands itched to pound into somebody's face, but he reigned it in. He couldn't talk to her like this.

Stepping into his club, Jack's shoes squeaked against the newly buffered floor as he crossed the room and made his way to the office he shared with his ex-girlfriend. Swinging the door open, he barged into the room. "What did you say to her?" He demanded, his voice coming out louder than he had expected, but Ronnie didn't flinch, in fact she didn't even look up from the paperwork she was doing.

"And 'hello' to you too," she said, wryly, her eyes still fixed on the invoices in front of her, her pen scribbling away.

"Tanya. What did you say?"

"Actually, the name's 'Veronica'."

Jack slammed the palms of his hands down on Ronnie's desk, making her heart race but she refused to let it show, instead she once again adopted her much loved 'Ice Queen' mask. "Ronnie, I ain't playing around!"

Ronnie looked up at him through her charcoal lashes, her blue eyes taking in his every feature from the way his dark eyes were even darker with fury, to the way his lips were slightly pressed together, as though keeping his secrets silently locked away, refusing to let them spill out into the open. She'd never seen him like this before, never in all the months she'd known him. Inwardly, she scoffed. _All the months I've known him? That's ridiculous, you don't know a person after a few months, you don't really know people even after years. I've owned pairs of stilettos for longer than I've known him._

"I wasn't aware this was a game," she coolly replied, unfazed by Jack's behaviour.

"So what was all that about today, with you and Max? What do you call all that then?"

"The afternoon entertainment." There was a brief pause as they both stared at each other, waiting for the other to break the eye contact. Another moment of silence passed. Ronnie could feel her stomach flip over, it was as though he was reading her, looking inside of her and finding everything that she had tried so hard to keep hidden. Without looking away, she spoke; "Now, if that's all, I have this week's invoices to sort out."

It took a second for Jack to realise that Ronnie was speaking, he could hear her say something about invoices, but all he could do was fall deeper into her eyes. She wouldn't look away, wouldn't break the contact and neither could do. He blinked, but his eyes still remained on hers, no matter how uncomfortable it made her. Anyone else wouldn't have been able to see it, they would think that Ronnie wasn't reacting to him, but he wasn't anyone else. He knew her. And he could see that she needed to look away, even if she was unable to do so.

He lifted his palms from the surface of her desk and took a step backwards. "No, that's not all." He watched as she rolled her eyes, already exasperated with this exchange. "You still haven't answered my question. What did you say to Tanya?"

Ronnie sighed, placing her pen down on the desk and pushing the papers away from her slightly. "Nothing."

But Jack shook his head, not satisfied with this response. "Then why have I been told to not go back to the house tonight?" He asked, his voice getting louder as his frustration increased.

Ronnie shrugged. "Your lovers' tiffs with Tanya have nothing to do with me."

"Don't it?"

"No!" She shouted, beginning to get annoyed with the accusations.

"Then why do they always go back to you?!" Jack shouted back, startling Ronnie with his words. A confused look crossed her face, before her expression became hardened all over again.

"Your relationship problems aren't my doing, Jack. If Tanya's kicked you out for the night, that's down to you, not anything I may or may not have said."

"So, you did say something to her, then?"

"Oh, for god's sake!" Ronnie stood up from her leather chair, prepared to stalk out of the club. She was not getting into this with him, especially now. Jack grabbed her arm, gripping it tightly, but not tight enough to hurt her. Ronnie looked from her arm to his face, "Let go of me."

"Tell me what you said."

"Or what? I'm not one of your suspects, Jack." Her was soft, whispered even, but it was like arrows of ice had pierced through him, slashing his skin until the blood poured from the gashing wounds. But still, he didn't let her go.

"What did you say, Ronnie?" He kept repeating the question, trying to get a response from her. How much longer was he meant to try? How many other ways? She was right, she wasn't a suspect, he couldn't really do anything . . . and he wouldn't want to.

She stared at him, a questioning look in the blue orbs. _Why did he care so much? And why did he never fight for me like this?_ As soon as the thought had formed in her mind, Ronnie mentally kicked herself. If this was the man that Jack Branning was, he wasn't worthy of her. Eventually, she let out a soft sigh. She looked directly at him. "I told her that you were exactly like Max; you're a cheat and liar and you'll break her heart. I told her that you're exactly like the man that she left, exactly like him, worse even . . . you just hide it better."

Jack let go of Ronnie's arm, as though he had been scalded. His hand dropped back down to his side, accidentally brushing against her stomach as it did so. He shook his head. "That's not true. How can you think that?"

"How can I not?" She retorted, the anger flashing in her eyes before disappearing as suddenly as it had arrived. "You cheat on me with your ex wife and when I finally, _finally_ give you a second chance, you call it off within a couple of weeks with no explanation. Then when I say I'm leaving, you beg me not to go but when I come back, you've shacked up with your sister-in-law, playing the family man. You want to ask me again how I can think that or is that explanation enough?" Ronnie shook her head, a disgusted feeling overwhelming her; whether that was due to Jack's actions or the fact that he had managed to get to her, she didn't know. She just knew that she felt sick to her stomach and needed to get away from him.

As Ronnie's words washed over her, Jack finally realised the true consequences of his actions. How could he have said he loved her and did all that to her? "Ron, I'm sorry-"

"Save it, Jack. I don't care anymore."

"Is that why you're winding Tanya up whatever chance you get?" It was meant to come out jokily, light hearted, but from the look in Ronnie's eyes, he knew it hadn't been received that way.

"Why did I even turn up for that stupid wedding? We'd all be the better for it if we hadn't," Ronnie murmured to herself, shaking her head and moving her gaze across the office.

"What?" Jack asked, he'd heard clearly enough, but he couldn't understand why she would say it. If she hadn't turned up for Phil's wedding to Stella, Roxy wouldn't be with the man she loved, Ronnie wouldn't have the club and . . . ._she wouldn't have met me. That's the part she regrets._

Rounding on him, Ronnie fixed Jack with a piercing stare. "Do you love her?"

Instantly taken aback by the question, Jack had no idea how to respond. He and Tanya hadn't been together very long and now his ex wanted to know if they were in love. There was no way he could answer that question without hurting one of the most important people in his life. "I ain't talking about this with you, Ron."

"It isn't a difficult question, Jack."

"You're my ex-girlfriend, we were together. I'm not talking to you about Tanya."

"We weren't some epic love story, Jack – we were barely together for a month, you couldn't even call it a relationship. 'Pathetic' is what comes to mind, actually."

Jack shook his head, refusing to believe what she was saying. "Nah, you don't mean that."

"Don't I?" Ronnie questioned. She paused. "Do you love her?"

"Why are you even asking this?" Jack questioned, confused and shocked at the turn of conversation. Ten minutes ago, he'd come in and demanded an answer from her and now the roles had been reversed; she wanted answers from _him_. "You said you didn't care."

She shrugged her slender shoulders. "Maybe I do care . . . or maybe I'd be returning the favour by warning her."

"Warning her? What you on about? How does me saying I love Tanya equal you warning her about it?"

"Because your love's toxic, Jack. All you do is hurt, you can't help it. And after you've told her you love her and you've promised her the world, once you've made her feel all nice and safe, you'll leave and you'll rip apart her heart. It wasn't all that long ago that she found out about Max and she's got three kids to think about, so a warning would be good for her."

Jack scoffed, but it wasn't full of same derision that usually drowned Ronnie's ones. Because a part of him knew that she was right; he couldn't help it, he always ended up hurting the people that meant the most to him. It was like a reflex, as though it had been ingrained in his DNA. It was just what he did.

But still, hearing it from her, from Ronnie, hurt. More than he wanted it to and more than he thought it ever would.

"So, Jack, tell me; do you love her like you loved me?"

**THE END**


End file.
